Ukiah City Council approves $47K landscaping plan

The Ukiah City Council Wednesday approved a nearly $50,000 plan to add a native plant garden and trees to the area alongside the new electrical substation on South Orchard Avenue.

"Is it true that if we threw this out and said it was way too expensive, that it would lead to a major amount of staff time that would have to be reallocated and go back into the whole process?" Council member Phil Baldwin asked Electric Utility Director Mel Grandi.

Grandi said "yes, because we have an architect on staff with this project."

GSM Landscape Architects, Inc. of Napa was hired to prepare the landscaping and irrigation plan for the site at the southwest corner of South Orchard Avenue and East Gobbi Street, and a "demonstration garden" of native plants with a path leading through it is planned.

Grandi said the landscaping was required by the Ukiah Planning Commission as part of the building of the new substation "to make the city a little better," explaining that trees will also be added on East Gobbi Street.

At the time the landscaping plan was approved by the Planning Commission, Commissioner Jason Brenner said he really liked the design, but that it looked expensive and he would rather spend the money elsewhere.

The Electric Utility recommended awarding the contract for the landscaping work to Fieldstone Construction of Windsor, which bid $47,650.

According to the staff report prepared for the meeting, Fieldstone's bid was not opened Nov. 14 with the other two bids because it had not been addressed properly and did not arrive at the city clerk's office with the others.

City Attorney David Rapport said the "irregularity" could be waived by the City Council because it did not give unfair advantage to Fieldstone. When all three bids were considered, Fieldstone's was the lowest.

"The bid went to a firm outside of the county as opposed to a firm inside of the county," said Council member Benj Thomas, adding that the City Council had "received a letter urging us to adopt a local preference policy, and though I don't necessarily think this is the place to do it, it is a question that asks for an answer."

"We have talked about having a conversation about local preference, and we haven't gotten there yet," said Mayor Mary Anne Landis. "It's not a discussion to have about a particular project, it is more of a large discussion, which may be quite difficult, but I'd like to see that come up in our next year."

Resident Susan Knopf complimented the plan, telling the council "it looks very beautiful," adding that she wanted "to make sure the sidewalk is real wide and has no obstructions."

"That's a question we didn't anticipate," Grandi said. "It looks like a minimum of five feet, but it may be a bit wider in certain areas."

"It looks like a good plan," Landis said, and the council approved it.

Justine Frederiksen can be reached at udjjf@pacific.net, on Twitter @JustFrederiksen or at 468-3521.